Apparatus for treating filaments



Dec. 14, 1965 E. A. TAYLcR, JR 3,222,799

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FILAMENTS Filed March 22, 1962 ERNEST A. TAYLOR, Jr.

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ATTORNEY United States Patent O Fice 3,222,799 APPARATUS FR TREATHNG FILAMENTS Ernest A. Taylor, Jr., Decatur, Ala., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Monsanto Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 181,664 Claims. (Cl. 34--122) This invention relates to apparatus for-treating filaments and more particularly to apparatus for intermittently annealing or collapsing thermoplastic chemical filaments.

In the production of chemical fibers the spun filaments are collapsed and oriented by the application of heat and tension. This changes the physical characteristics of the filaments, as well as their dyeability characteristics. Considering this, one of the objects of this invention is to provide novel and improved apparatus for treating a thermoplastic filament.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for collapsing and orienting a synthetic filament.

A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for collapsing and orienting portions of an elongated synthetic filament.

Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for intermittently annealing a thermoplastic filament.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus wherein a yarn is passed over a rotating drum having apertures through which heated air is passed.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus wherein a yarn or tow is Apassed over a rotating drum having therein longitudinal slots through which heated air is passed outwardly through the tow to anneal the portions thereof in alignment with the slots.

IOne embodiment of the present invention contemplates a yarn or tow treatment apparatus wherein the tow is advanced over a rotating drum having therein a plurality of spaced longitudinal slots. The tow is fed to and taken from the rotating drum at the same speed at which the drum is turning. A first manifold inside the drum directs heated air outward through the slots. The heated air thus heats and softens those portion-s of the tow exposed by the slots.

The effect of the heated air is to cause the tow to shrink. Since it is prevented from shrinking longitudinally by the tension applied by feed and take-up rolls, the yarn shrinks laterally in-stead. The result is a reduction in diameter and a compacting or collapsing of each filament for the entire length exposed to each slot. That portion of the tow over the solid portions of the drum will remain unaffected. A second manifold positioned outside the drum directs cool air onto and through the drum to prevent an undesirable temperature rise in the drum itself.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the drawing, in which FIGURE l is a cross sectional view of an apparatus illustrating one embodiment and showing the structure of the drum and the manifolds, and

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 2 of FIGURE 1 showing the positioning of the manifolds relative to the drum.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a hollow drum 11 is shown secured to a shaft 12 rotatably mounted on a base 13. The drum 11 is provided with a plurality of spaced longitudinal slots 17 through which heated air is directed onto a flattened tow 18 from a first manifold 19 positioned inside the drum. The tow 18 is made up of a bundle of thermoplastic filaments. The manifold 3,222,799 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 19 is supported by an air duct 22 which extends through an aperture 23 in the drum 11 and which is attached to the base (the physical connection is not shown). A source 24 of heated air is connected to the duct 22.

The drum is driven by a belt 33 passing over a pulley 34 on the shaft 12. The tow 18 is advanced over the drum 11 under tension by well known means (not shown). The manifold 19, which is covered by a layer 25 of insulating materiaLhas a wide exit opening positioned in close proximity to the inner surface of the drum 11 -so that substantially all of the heated air leaving the manifold passes through the slots 17 and impinges on the tow 18. This air heats those portions of the filaments exposed by the slots 17 so that these portions, being under tension, collapse.

Those portions of the filaments which are shielded by the drum 11 do not collapse. Thus, each filament will have spaced portions thereof which are collapsed. The filament thus is intermittently varied in size. Since collapsing of a synthetic fiber changes its dyeability characteristics, a subsequent dyeing of the filaments in the tow 18 will produce filaments each having alternating shades of color along its length. These filaments of varying size and color may be used for many purposes, one of which is in the making of novelty yarns.

To insure that the drum 11 does not become heated to an undesirable degree, a second manifold 30 mounted on the base 13 is positioned below the drum 11 for directing cooling air onto the drum, this air being supplied through a duct 31 from a source 32. The exit opening of the manifold 30 is positioned in close proximity to the drum 11 so that substantially all of the cool air then ows out of the drum 11 through other slots therein, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. This cools the drum 11 to thereby prevent an undesirable rise in temperature of the drum itself.

It is to be understood that the embodiment disclosed herein is merely illustrative and that numerous other embodiments can be contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for treating a filament, comprising a rotating drum having in the periphery thereof a plurality of spaced openings, a first duct leading into the drum and having an open end positioned to terminate at the inner surface of the drum and adapted for directing a heated gas outwardly through a portion of said apertures, the outer surface of the drum being exposed to atmosphere in such a manner that said gas .passes radially outward through spaced portions of a tow being passed over the drum, said first duct being smaller than the internal volume of the drum so as to leave an unoccupied space in the drum, and a second duct having an open end positioned outside and below the drum and adapted for directing a stream of cooling gas through only a lower portion of said apertures and said unoccupied space to thereby cool said rotating drum.

2. Apparatus for annealing spaced portions of a continuous filament comprising, in combination; a base, an apertured drum rotatably mounted on the base for advancing a continuous filament; a manifold positioned within the drum and in close proximity to the inner surface thereof, and adapted for directing a stream of heated air upon a portion of said apertured drum; means adapted for directing a cooling medium upon another portion of said apertured drum, said heated air and said cooling medium being simultaneously directed upon alternate drum portions occupying the same vertical plane; and, means for rotating the drum.

3. Apparatus for annealing spaced portions of a continuous tow comprising, a rotating drum having a plurality of apertures in the periphery thereof; a first means adapted for directing a heated medium through only a first portion of said apertures; and, a second means adapted for simultaneously directing a cooling medium through only a second portion of said apertures, said first means and said second means being positioned in a common plane and adapted so that said heated and cooling mediums are successively passed through all of the apertures in sequence upon rotation of said drum.

4. Apparatus for annealing spaced portions of a tow comprising, a base; an apertured drum rotatably mounted on the base for advancing a continuous tow on the surface of an upper portion thereof; a first means adapted for directing a heated medium upon an internal portion of said apertured drum and then through spaced portions of said continuous tow; and a second means positioned vertically below said first means and adapted for directing a cooling medium externally upon a lower portion of said apertured drum to circulate said cooling medium through only the lower portion of said apertured drum. 5. An apparatus for annealing spaced portions of a continuous tow wherein the outer portions of said tow are masked from a treating fluid, said apparatus being comprised of a base; a drum rotatably mounted on the base and having in the periphery thereof a plurality of longitudinal slots, said drum having an opening in the end thereof; a duct mounted on the base and extending through the opening into the drum; a first manifold connected to the duct and having an eXit opening positioned adjacent to the inner surface of the drum, said manifold being adapted to direct a stream of heated air through a selected number of the longitudinal slots at the upper portion of the drum to engage spaced portions of a tow being passed over said upper portion; a source of heated air connected to the duct; a second manifold mounted on the base vertically below the first manifold and having an exit opening positioned adjacent to the outer surface of the drum, said second manifold being adapted to direct a stream of cooling gas onto only a lower portion of the drum; a source of cooling gas connected to the second manifold; and,vmeans for rotating the drum.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,352,195 6/1944 Harcourt et al 34-122 X 2,716,936 9/1955 Kopf 34-63 X 2,727,317 12/1955 Offen 34-114 2,864,176 12/1958 Backlert 34-122 2,952,033 9/1960 Goodwin 34-122 2,985,210 5/1961 Magnuson 34-122 WILLIAM F. ODEA, Acting Prinmry Examiner.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Examiner. 

3. APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING SPACED PORTIONS OF A CONTINUOUS TOW COMPRISING, A ROTATING DRUM HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES IN THE PERIPHERY THEREOF; A FIRST MEANS ADAPTED FOR DIRECTING A HEATED MEDIUM THROUGH ONLY A FIRST PORTION OF SAID APERTURES; AND, A SECOND MEANS ADAPTED FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DIRECTING A COOLING MEDIUM THROUGH ONLY A SECOND PORTION OF SAID APERTURES, SAID FIRST MEANS AND SAID SECOND MEANS BEING POSITIONED IN 